Motorized vertical opening tilting door with strap balancing

Abstract

The invention relates to a vertically opening tilting door (1) comprising at least one curtain (5) movable between an open horizontal position and a closed vertical position, with a first post (2) comprising a counterweight system (13) guided vertically in the first post (2) from a high position corresponding to the closed curtain (5), to a low position corresponding to the open curtain (5), and providing load compensation regardless of the position of the curtain (5).According to the invention: - the counterweight (13) is connected to the upper axis (11) of the apron (5) by at least two straps (17) which each wind around a drum (18) fixed to said upper axis (11); - the straps (17) include a stop element (19) fixed near the counterweight (13); - a lever (20) is mounted to rotate freely around the upper axis so that, when the straps (17) are wound around the drums (18), the stop element (19) comes to rest against a free end of the lever (20) so as to set the lever (20) in rotation and continue the rotation around the drums (18) at a distance from the upper axis (11) with an increased traction torque of the counterweight. Figure for the abstract: Fig. 8.

Description

Title of the invention: Motorized vertical opening tilting door with strap balancing technical field

[0001] The present invention relates to a motorized tilting door with vertical opening, such as a garage door for example, providing a small footprint, and with improved balancing. Previous art

[0002] Prior art document FR3040722 is known which describes a vertically opening tilting door comprising at least one movable panel between an open horizontal position and a closed vertical position.

[0003] The deck comprises rollers cooperating with two upper rails extending perpendicularly to a first upright and a second upright, connected by an upper cross member.

[0004] The tilting door includes a geared motor unit, coupled to the curtain, driving in rotation a first upper drive shaft extending in the upper cross member to drive conveyor chains extending in a first upright, and to ensure the tilting of the curtain.

[0005] First endless conveyor chains allow the curtain to be raised or lowered and are arranged on either side of the door and in the vertical uprights. In each upright, each first chain is associated, on the one hand, with the upper drive shaft via a drive pinion and, on the other hand, with a fixed-position idler pinion located in the lower part of the upright.

[0006] The deck further comprises a lower horizontal drive axis ensuring the guidance of a lower part of the deck along the uprights.

[0007] In each upright, the first conveyor chains are coupled to one end of the lower drive shaft for tilting the door. Furthermore, in each upright, the lower drive shaft is connected to a fixed part of the tilting door by means of a second conveyor chain cooperating with a fixed-position balancing sprocket located in the upper part of the upright.

[0008] The assembly further includes a triangulation pinion subjected to a counterweight and arranged on the second conveying chain between the fixed part and the balancing pinion, so as to provide load compensation for said apron, regardless of its position.

[0009] In the closed position of the apron, the counterweights of each upright are raised and are in the raised position. Starting the geared motor unit causes the The two upper drive shafts rotate, each driving the first conveyor chains via the drive and idler gears. The rotation of these first chains raises or lowers the lower drive shaft, thus opening or closing the conveyor. Counterweights mounted on either side of the lower drive shaft move to their respective high and low positions during the opening or closing of the conveyor, compensating for the load and facilitating the opening or closing process.

[0010] The counterweight ensures constant balancing, regardless of the position of the door panel, to prevent it from falling back under its own weight.

[0011] However, this system is complex and cumbersome, so it can still be improved. Description of the invention

[0012] One of the aims of the invention is therefore to remedy these drawbacks by proposing a tilting door whose balancing is simple and compact.

[0013] To this end, a vertically opening tilting door has been developed, conforming to the prior art in that it comprises at least one movable curtain between an open horizontal position and a closed vertical position. The curtain is guided by two upper rails extending perpendicularly from a first stile and a second stile, connected by a top rail. The tilting door includes a geared motor unit, coupled to the curtain, which drives a first upper drive shaft positioned in the top rail to drive conveyor chains extending at least into the first stile, and thus tilt the curtain.The first post also includes a counterweight system guided vertically within the first post from a high position corresponding to the closed deck, down to a low position corresponding to the open deck, and providing load compensation regardless of the deck's position.

[0014] According to the invention, the counterweight is connected to the upper axis of the apron by at least two straps, preferably approximately 1 mm thick, each of which is wound around a drum fixed to said upper axis. The straps include a stop element fixed near the counterweight, and a lever is mounted to rotate freely around the upper axis such that, when the straps are wound around the drums, the stop element bears against a free end of the lever so as to set the lever in rotation and continue the rotation around the drums at a distance from the upper axis with an increased counterweight tension torque.

[0015] In this way, the invention allows compensation of the load on the apron in all positions, with a torque that increases when the counterweight has to compensate for the The increased weight occurs when the curtain approaches the closed position. This allows for a reduction in motor effort thanks to increased torque, resulting in smoother and more controlled curtain movement with a simple and compact design. The invention also provides increased balancing force when needed, using a counterweight with a load approximately half the curtain's weight, thus reducing both size and cost.

[0016] Other advantages lie in the fact that the counterweight system is directly connected to the upper axis, without pulleys, and that the use of straps allows winding on themselves, which also increases the torque during winding, since the diameter of the drums increases.

[0017] The use of two straps provides redundancy for the safety elements, including the counterweight system. If one of the straps breaks, the other continues to maintain balance. Furthermore, this feature allows for a uniform distribution of forces, reducing stress on the axle and improving the stability and reliability of the system.

[0018] According to a particular embodiment, the two straps are connected, near the counterweight, by a shoe acting as a stop element intended to bear against the lever, which allows optimized synchronization of the movement of the straps and the lever, as well as an increase in the precision of the tilting, ensuring better regularity of operation.

[0019] Preferably, the door includes two levers mounted side by side and free to rotate around the upper axis, for increased safety and a more robust mechanism resistant to mechanical stresses.

[0020] Advantageously, the free end of the lever(s) has a notch for receiving the shoe, which allows a better grip on the shoe, thus increasing the reliability of the movement of the levers, and reducing the risks of untimely disengagement.

[0021] According to a particular embodiment, the counterweight is in the form of a cradle containing weights, which makes it easy to adjust the quantity of weight for optimal compensation according to the characteristics of the apron, and thus improve modularity and adaptation to various door configurations.

[0022] Preferably, the door includes a roller, preferably rotating or with a low coefficient of friction surface, parallel to the upper axis and positioned under the drums to keep the straps vertical under said drums, which allows precise holding of the straps in order to retain the vertical component of the traction force generated by the counterweight, and to reduce friction, thereby increasing the longevity of the components.

[0023] Preferably, the door includes a stop for the free position of the lever, that is, the position not engaged by the straps. The lever returns to its initial stop position, in particular, by the force of gravity. The stop secures and ensures the reliability of the free position of the lever.

[0024] Thus, the invention proposes an innovative tilting door mechanism, bringing significant improvements in terms of safety, fluidity of movement, and longevity of the system thanks to the integration of a counterweight actuated by a system of straps and lever. Brief description of the drawings

[0025] Other advantages and features will become clearer from the following description of an embodiment, given by way of non-limiting example, of the tilting door according to the invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

[0026] [Fig-1] is a front perspective view of the tilting door according to the invention, the curtain being shown in the closed position.

[0027] [Fig.2] is a perspective view of the inside of the first upright illustrating the position of the counterweight system when the apron is open.

[0028] [Fig.3] is a view similar to that of [Fig.2], a detailed view of the nacelle containing the weights.

[0029] [Fig.4] is a view similar to that of [Fig.2], in detail and in perspective on the lever and the strap winding drums.

[0030] [Fig.5] is a view similar to that of [Fig.4], side view.

[0031] [Fig.6] is a view similar to that of [Fig.2], illustrating the position of the system of counterweight when the apron is closed.

[0032] [Fig.7] is a view similar to that of [Fig.6], in detail and in perspective on the levers and strap winding drums.

[0033] [Fig.8] is a view similar to that of [Fig.7], side view.

[0034] [Fig.9] illustrates the upper part of the first upright in detail on the chain system and sprockets.

[0035] [Fig. 10] illustrates the lower part of the first upright, in particular the lower sprocket of the chain system. Detailed description of the invention

[0036] With reference to Figures 1 to 10, the tilting door (1) according to the invention comprises a frame consisting of two profiled vertical uprights (2, 3) connected by a horizontal upper crossbar (4) forming a lintel, and a curtain (5). To ensure the tilting of the curtain (5) in a lifting or lowering direction, the latter is arranged in the upper and lower parts of its lateral edges with rolling means (6) of the roller type moving along profiled upper rails. (7, 8) extending perpendicularly to the uprights (2, 3) and to the upper cross member (4) forming guide rails and arranged on either side of the door opening (1). These upper rails (7, 8) have, in a well-known manner, a horizontal part and a substantially curved forward part.

[0037] The upper cross member (4) is arranged with a support for a very low-power geared motor unit (10) positioned between the two uprights (2, 3). The geared motor unit (10) drives a horizontal upper drive shaft (11) extending into the upper cross member (4). In particular, the output shaft of the geared motor is parallel to the upper shaft (11) and is rotationally connected to said upper shaft via a gear (12) and chain system (not shown).

[0038] With reference to figures 9 and 10, first conveyor chains, not shown, allow the raising or lowering of the apron (5) and are arranged on either side of the door (1) and in particular in the vertical uprights (2, 3). In each upright (2, 3), each first chain is associated, on the one hand, with the upper drive shaft (11) by means of a drive pinion (14) and, on the other hand, with a fixed-position idler pinion (15) arranged in the lower part of the upright (2, 3).

[0039] The apron (5) further includes a lower horizontal drive axis (9) ensuring the guidance of a lower part of the apron (5) along the uprights (2, 3), and in particular along an internal rear part of said uprights (2, 3).

[0040] The first upright (2) includes a counterweight system (13) guided vertically in the first upright (2) from a high position corresponding to the closed apron (5), to a low position corresponding to the open apron (5), and providing load compensation regardless of the position of the apron (5).

[0041] According to one embodiment of the invention, the counterweight (13) is in the form of a cradle (16) containing weights, connected to the upper axis (11) of the apron by two straps (17), approximately 1 mm thick, which wrap around drums (18) fixed to said upper axis (11), in particular inside the first upright (2).

[0042] The straps (17) are connected, near the counterweight (13), by a shoe (19) acting as a stop element intended to bear against two levers (20) mounted side by side and free to rotate around the upper axis (11).

[0043] In this way, when the straps (17) are wound around the drums (18), see figures 6 to 8, the shoe (19) comes to rest against a free end of the levers (20), and in particular engages in notches or recesses (21) provided at the free end of said levers (20), so as to engage the levers (20) in rotation and continue the rotation around the drums (18) at a distance from the upper axis.

[0044] This makes it possible to increase the torque of the counterweight (13) on the last centimeters of winding of the straps (17), that is to say when the apron is closed, which corresponds to the moment when the load of the apron is maximum.

[0045] When the straps (17) are unrolled, see figures 3 to 5, i.e. when the apron is in the open position, the gondola (16) is in the lower position, and the levers (20) return to their initial position against a stop (22) due to gravity.

[0046] Preferably, the first upright (2) includes a roller (23), preferably rotating or with a low coefficient of surface friction, parallel to the upper axis (11) and positioned under the drums (18) to keep the straps (17) vertical under said drum (18).

[0047] It follows from the above that the invention does indeed provide a tilting door whose balancing is effective regardless of the position of the curtain, while being simple and compact.

Claims

Demands

1. A vertically opening tilting door (1) comprising at least one movable curtain (5) between an open horizontal position and a closed vertical position, said curtain (5) being guided by two upper rails (7, 8) extending perpendicularly from a first upright (2) and a second upright (3) connected by an upper cross member (4), said tilting door (1) comprising a geared motor unit (10), coupled to the curtain (5), driving in rotation a first upper drive shaft (11) positioned in the upper cross member (4) to drive conveyor chains extending in the first upright (2), and ensuring the tilting of the curtain (5), said first upright (2) comprising a counterweight system (13) guided vertically in the first upright (2) from a high position corresponding to the closed curtain (5), to a low position corresponding to the open curtain (5),and providing load compensation regardless of the position of the apron (5), characterized in that: - the counterweight (13) is connected to the upper axis (11) of the apron (5) by at least two straps (17) which each wind around a drum (18) fixed to said upper axis (11); - the straps (17) include a stop element (19) fixed near the counterweight (13); - a lever (20) is mounted to rotate freely around the upper axis so that, when the straps (17) are wound around the drums (18), the stop element (19) bears against a free end of the lever (20) so as to set the lever (20) in rotation and continue the rotation around the drums (18) at a distance from the upper axis (11) with an increased traction torque of the counterweight.

2. Tilting door according to claim 1, characterized in that the two straps (17) are connected, near the counterweight (13), by a shoe acting as a stop element (19) intended to bear against the lever (20).

3. Tilting door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises two levers (20) mounted side by side and free to rotate about the upper axis (11).

4. Tilting door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the free end of the lever(s) (20) has a notch (21) for receiving the shoe (19).

5. Tilting door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the counterweight (13) is in the form of a cradle (16) containing weights.

6. Tilting door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a roller (23) parallel to the upper axis (11) and positioned under the drums (18) to keep the straps (17) vertical under said drums (18).

7. Tilting door according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes a stop (22) for a free position of the lever(s) (20).